Back-to-school in danger in Cibitoke boarding schools : pupils exposed to hunger and diseases

SOS Médias Burundi

Cibitoke, September 14, 2025 – On the eve of the start of the school year, concern is prevalent in several boarding schools in the Cibitoke region of Bujumbura province, western Burundi. Between food shortages, dilapidated dormitories, worn mattresses, a shortage of teachers, and a lack of clean water, pupil conditions appear compromised. Parents and school administration authorities fear serious consequences for the children’s health and future.

The administration authorities of Cibitoke High School, Butara High School, and Mère du Sauveur High School in Buhayira are sounding the alarm. In some dilapidated dormitories, the mattresses are insufficient or completely worn out. Several pupils risk sleeping on the floor, on mere pieces of damaged foam.

Insufficient food and a reduced number of teachers

At Butara High School, the principal explains that he waited for food supplies intended for boarding pupils, but the quantities received are largely insufficient.
“Suppliers justify the shortage by the rise in food prices, while government funding remains very limited,” he laments.

At Cibitoke High School, the difficulties go beyond food : there is a lack of desks and a shortage of teachers. “Several teachers have left, attracted by better opportunities,” confides a school official.

Access to drinking water : a health threat

Another major problem : the supply of drinking water. In the midst of a cholera epidemic, the health risk is considered very high.
“Water is a source of life, but it can also become a danger. We fear that our pupils will catch the disease,” warns a principal.

Worried parents, reassuring authorities

These difficulties sow doubt among many parents, who fear that their children will go hungry or become ill due to poor hygiene conditions.

For their part, education officials in Cibitoke acknowledge the existence of certain problems but are reassuring :
“Everything necessary to accommodate the pupils has been provided,” assures Joseph Nyandwi, head of education in the region. Regarding the mattress shortage, he calls on benefactors and partners in the education sector to provide assistance, as has already been done in the past.